the DIB Project pt 2: All You Need is Love
by theBalance
Summary: Phoenix & Dib dwell on their MotherSon relatioship. Meanwhile, at Skool, Zim persues Gaz under the belief that Dib is plotting against him. What lengths will Zim go to get what he wants? How will this affect the newlyrebuilt family?
1. Prologue

**All You Need is Love**

AN: I'm not sure how long this is going to take me, since the only thing I know about it is the ending. Just bear with me!

_Disclaimer: you know the drill._

Prologue 

Phoenix opens her eyes wearily as she feels a weight lift off the mattress. Looking over to the neon clock, she groans. "It's quarter to three, Membrane… What the hell are you doing?"

"Work," he states matter-of-factly, dragging his coat over broad shoulders.

Phoenix sits up, her semi-naked body reminding her of the cold. She quickly pulls the duvet to her chin, before changing her mind and standing up, ignoring the chill. Before he gets a chance to button his coat, she places her arms gently around his neck. "Are you _sure_ you don't want to stay a little longer?" she asks suggestively, adding a kiss for emphasis.

Membrane smiles, appearing to ponder his options. After a while he replies, "Pretty sure," wrapping his goggles around his head. He kisses her quickly before closing the coat around him.

"Only a true workaholic would refuse that," she retorts, placing her hands on her hips.

Membrane shrugs, "You coming into the Lab later?" he enquires with a wink.

Phoenix giggles, "Bugger off," she dismisses him, still chuckling as she closes the door. She had missed these little games. They had played them ever since she arrived to collaborate on Dib. Starting off as serious arguments over trivial things, both Professors realized that they each enjoyed the sport, coming up with rules to determine who 'won' and who 'lost' the disputes. Basically it was thus: the first person to say "shut up," "fuck off," or anything else that required little-or-no intelligence whatsoever, instantly made their opponent the victor.

Turning her back on the door, she sighs as she climbs back into the empty bed, contempt.


	2. 1: Human Nature

Chapter one 

Sleep still clouding his mind, Dib stumbles into the kitchen. He almost jumps when he sees his mother sitting at the table, nursing a coffee with a bandaged hand. His confusion turns to a smile as he remembers the events of the previous day.

Phoenix grins back in reply and asks, "How did you sleep?"

"Eventually," is his only answer.

"I can see that, you look like shit." She rises, reaching for a bowl. "Porridge?"

"Mmm? … Yeah, I guess. What time is it?" he makes to sit at the table.

"Ten-to-eleven," Phoenix answers casually, spooning the gray gloop into the bowl. "Sugar?"

"Ten to?! I gotta get to Skool!" he jumps up, ready to run to the door.

"No you don't. I called Ms Bitters, you're staying home," she places the bowl on the table. "Milk or cream?" seeing the look on her son's face, she adds: "You _died_ last night, Dib. Get it? No pulse, no breath, _dead_. You're staying home."

The boy sighs in resignation and sits at the table, "Milk. One sugar."

"As you wish," she complies with his requests, slides the bowl over to him and follows it with a spoon before seating herself opposite him, returning to her coffee.

"So… what are you planning on doing now that you're back? Are you gonna work with Dad again?"

"Maybe…" she answered vacantly. "I was thinking of heading down to the Lab later on, see if any of the old crew are still there. I wonder if Simmons still has a crush on me…" she added with a smile.

"Can I come? I mean, it's not like I've got anything else to do today."

"You don't want to pursue Zim at all?"

"No… How do you know about Zim?"

"Please, I'm an Elite Swollen Eyeball – of course I've read your reports. Irken, right? Badly disguised as a kid at your skool… has a defective SIR unit called 'GIR'…"

"Yeah, okay. I get it – wait, you… _believe_ it?"

She shrugs, "I know you better than you think, Dib… and you haven't changed. You're persistent. If you set your mind on something, it's impossible for you to get distracted. That's one of the traits you father gave you. Whatever this Zim is about, it's important to you, I believe that much. But, in order for anyone to be an effective Paranormal Scientist, one has to think with the mind of a skeptic – if you can't prove something to yourself, how can you convince others? To be honest, if I didn't know you, and I hadn't received those Irken transmissions so many years ago… I'd've been cynical, too."

"But, it seems _everyone _I try to warn is a skeptic, they all think I'm crazy…"

"Try not to let it get to you. It's human nature, that's all: some believe without proof, some need proof to believe. Others, well, they're just happy with their own ignorance – they couldn't care less what science has to show. Take Christians for example: they don't believe in evolution – something of which there is undeniable proof of – and yet they believe in a god that hasn't shown his face for over two-and-a-half _millennia_. Anthropology is a strange field." Phoenix shrugs, picking up Dib's empty bowl and carrying it to the sink.

Dib thought about it for a while before changing the subject. "Hey, do you think you could teach me to use that sword of yours? I know this sounds sick, but… what you did to Vila? That was neat."

Phoenix chuckled at his lack of innocence, "You sound like your grandmother, Gaia1. She did a bit of, erm, _fencing_ in her time. She taught me a little bit when I was around your age so… yeah, why not. Not till you've got you're strength back, though. Besides, I think I left the sword back at the institute."

1 Gaia is a character from one of my originals entitled _Little One_. She wields twin katanas to seek vengeance on those who killed her parents.


	3. 2: Where is the Dibworm?

_AN: Before I set my fingers to the keyboard for this chapter, I knew it would be out of character, so I apologize to all the Zimmy fans for this one._

_... And, yes, it is supposed to be this short._

**Chapter 2 – Where is the Dibworm?**

Zim sat in class, quietly for once, confused as to why his nemesis would skip skool. Dib had been acting so strangely yesterday: not once had the words "Zim" and "alien" been used in the same sentence. Yesss… the Dibworm was definitely up to something… trying to throw me off guard… What was that folder he had? Was it some sort of report? A plan, maybe? That's it, a plan to thwart my glorious schemes. But… I don't _have_ a scheme this time… What was the Dibmonkey up to?

The Sister… she'll know. She'll be happy to spill his secrets…

"Zim!" Ms Bitters voice boomed into his mind. "I asked you a question. Answer me like the rest of these drones."

"Uh… doomed?" he replies hesitantly.

Bitters' eyes narrowed, "…You got lucky," she says as the lunch bell shrilly tolls. "I love that sound," she sighs. For an extra minute she was silent, reveling in the torture of her students. "What are you all looking at? Get out!"

The children filed out hurriedly, zim hung back. Instead of making his way to te cafeteria, he heads in the opposite direction, towards Mr Elliot's room, intending to intercept Gaz on her way to the foodening.


	4. 3: Reacquaintances

**Chapter 3 – Re-acquaintances**

Phoenix and Dib entered the main lobby of Membrane Labs.

"Hey, Karen."

The receptionist looked up from her computer and her eyes widened. "D-Dame Phoenix… it's um, good to see you back here. Do you want me to send a message to the Professor to tell him you're here?"

Phoenix shook her head, "He won't acknowledge it."

"Alright then, go right on through… Oh, hi, Dib."

Dib waved back as he followed is mother into the elevator.

"Have you ever been down here?" Phoenix enquires as the lift hums it's way to the next floor down.

"Couple of times," Dib shrugs. "Regretted it, though."

"Playing with Membrane's contraptions? You were always the curious one."

As they stepped into the laboratory, all bar one of the scientists ceased whatever experiment they were working on and looked to Phoenix and Dib. Most were familiar faces, the rest were new. One of the most recent interns caught her attention instantly.

"Nny?" she asks, tilting her head as if it would give better view of him. "Since when did you have an interest in science?"

The emaciated maniac had swapped his black t-shirt for a lab-coat, his boots remained as had his unmanageable hair. "Professor Phoenix! It's good to see you again. How do you know Membrane?"

"She's my wife," the Professor finally looks up from his work. "And you know eachother… how?" he added suspiciously.

"Don't get jealous, Membrane," Phoenix defended. "When I was doing a study on Waste-locks back at the Institute, Johnny here heard about it and volunteered – he used to be one."

"What on _earth_ is a Waste-lock?"

"It's a supernatural thing," they both replied in unison.

"You wouldn't be interested," Phoenix added.

Everyone began badgering Phoenix with questions: What have you been up to these past years? Discovered anything interesting? … and the like. Eventually Membrane gave up at convincing them to continue working and agreed to let them all finish for the day. The only person who remained silent was Simmons. "That answers my question from this morning," Phoenix muttered to Dib, who chuckled in reply. "Yip, I've still got it," she grinned.

After a while Dib began to get bored, even though his mother appeared to be enjoying the attention. The scientists listened intently to her tales, like a class of toddlers being read their favourite story for the umpteenth time. When she relates the capture of the chupacabra, she turned to Dib with a proud grin on her face. The smile faded into a look of concern and she raised her hand to excuse herself from her audience.

"Do you want to go?" she asks sincerely as she crouches down to eye-level and places a hand on his shoulder.

The boy nods in reply and adds: "I wanted to show you something, but you seem to be…"

"Nonsense," she disrupts him. "Come on," she rises, takes Dib's hand and waves dismissively at her old colleagues as they head back towards the elevator.


	5. 4: Dibsister!

_AN: Since I only have volume 2 of the DVDs as a reference, I'm not really sure how Torque talks so you'll have to excuse me for this._

**Chapter 4 – Dibsister!**

Zim hailed Gaz as he saw her walking towards him, purple head down. She ignored him, tapping away at the GameSlave 2. When she was about a meter away from him he called out again: "Dibsi–" she pushes him out of the way without looking up and continued walking.

"Argh! How _dare_ she pay no heed to Zim!" the alien fumed as he stands, brushing himself off and picking up a quick trot to catch up. "Wormsibling! Acknowledge your future ruler!"

She replies with another nudge, forcing him into the wall. Zim looks up to see that it was no wall that he had collided with: Torque Smacky loomed over him.

The bully raises his fist, "Dib's not around so you pick on his little sister instead? That's just sad… pick on someone your own size."

"Uh, I'd rather not," Zim answered nervously, looking at his challenger's girth. "I'll just, er… be… getting out of your way now, okay?"

Torque grabs his collar, raising his fist higher, more threateningly.

"Back off, Torque," Gaz threatens. "I can handle this."

"But… he was…"

"I said BACK OFF!"

Torque drops Zim and flees, not wishing to invoke Gaz's wrath.

"Dibsister…" Zim states as he stands. "You… saved me from that…"

"Yeah, whatever," she answers, before kicking him in the shins and continuing to the cafeteria.

"There has to be an easier way…" he groans, rubbing his leg as he watches Gaz disappear around a corner.


	6. 5: I'm So Proud of You

**Chapter 5 – I'm So Proud of You**

"What was it you wanted to show me?" Phoenix sat on the edge of Dib's bed while he searched through the bottom drawer of his desk.

"This," he said simply, lifting out a disc and sliding it into the laptop's drive. "Everything concerning Zim is on here. I have schematics for his ship, his robot, his base, his computer…"

Phoenix stood up and moved closer to the screen, examining the diagrams. She then turned to her son with newly-found awe. "You obtained all these yourself? Jesus Christ… at the rate you're going, you could be the youngest Elite in the history of the Swollen Eyeballs…"

"What about you?"

"Me?" she chuckled. "I'm thirty-nine years old, I didn't become an Elite until I was thirty-six."

"Thirty-nine? So that would've made you…"

"Twenty-six when I met your father, nearly twenty-eight when you were born, thirty-ish when I left. Back to these blueprints… Why haven't submitted them to the Network?"

"I wanted to make sure I had everything."

"Do you have anything regarding his mission?"

"A little… mostly gathered from his rantings: He has to prepare the planet for the arrival of the Armada. Although he seems hell-bent on conquering the world himself."

"This could be worse than I initially thought… it seems you have handled it pretty well thus far, though."

"Yeah, well," Dib shrugs. "He's also stupid. That helps."

Phoenix giggled.

"I'm serious. The entire Irken race are morons: their leaders are only taller than everyone else – they certainly didn't _earn_ their rank, they weren't even _born_ to it. They're just, well, _tall_. Imagine if the powers that be were idiots… that would be just _horrible._"

"So… you think that despite their intelligence – or lack thereof – they have power, therefore they can still claim superiority over us. Do you think that's their strategy? Or just dumb luck?"

"Definitely the latter."

Phoenix smiled down at her son, "I'm so proud of you, Dib. It's good to know that there is someone else who pays attention to this sort of thing and actually _does_ something about it."

Dib blushed and looked down shyly. _I'm so proud of you…_ He couldn't remember the last time he had heard those words. Sure, Membrane had acknowledged him once or twice, but that was only when he stopped being himself… That _one_ time when he tried persuing 'real' science1…

He looked up and she embraced him. "I'm never leaving you again, Dib. I promise," she choked. He pulled away and looked up as a lone tear streaked down her face.

"Aw… Mum, don't be like that," he remarked, wiping away the tear with his thumb.

"Sorry, baby. It's just… it's been so long," she sniffed. "I mean, I knew you'd grow, but, not _this_ much. I can remember, just before the lab incident, I had just put you and you're sister down to sleep. It was a clear night so I went onto the roof, just to think in solitude. I must've fallen asleep because when I woke up you were curled up next to me. I picked you up to take you back to bed, you opened your eyes, pointed to a bright star above us and asked, 'What's that, Mummy?'…"

"'Everything you ever dreamed of and then some…'" Dib finished for her.

"You remembered?"

"Vaguely," he replied. "It came to me as you were telling it."

"Good. Keep those words I mind. People say the sky's the limit when it's not – it's just the beginning. Aim for the moon. That way, even if you miss, you'll land amongst the stars."

_AN: Yes, the 'powers that be' remark was a jibe at Prez Bush._

1 Reference to the unmade episode "Mopiness of Doom", in which Dib gives up on the paranormal aspect of science and joins his father in the Lab.


	7. 6: Chloroform

_AN: I'd like to apologise prior for the cheesiness of the plot for this one._

**Chapter 6 – Chloroform**

_Simple enough,_ Zim thought as he spotted the small glass vial on the shelf above him. The Skool had a collection of all sorts of chemicals – for demonstrative reasons only – at the rear of the chemistry lab. Although he had never used it himself, he had a fair idea from all those corny movies that GIR watches continuously. _Just a few drops on a cloth, that should be all I need…_ He looks around for any possible witnesses, _Good. No one in sight. It feels so strange, no Dib around watching my every move, threatening of autopsy tables and such…_

The four mechanical legs emerge from his PAK and raise him just high enough to reach the bottle. The alien picks the container from the shelf and uses one of the steel appendages to pierce the foil lid. With his palm over the minute hole, he tips the bottle upside down, letting the colourless liquid soak into his black glove. Careful not to inhale the fumes, he replaces the vial and lowers himself to the ground.


	8. 7: the Bumblebee

**Chapter 7 – the Bumblebee**

"Oh… _shit_," when they turned the corner, Phoenix spotted several police cars gathered at the entrance of the Chimera Institute. "Never mind, Computer: take us back home," she commanded, preferring to _not_ get arrested in front of her son. The car did a three-point turn and headed back to the labs.

"What about the sword?" Dib enquired.

"I have a better idea. I don't think you're physically strong enough to hold a longsword, let alone _wield_ one, anyway. When I first moved in, your father was kind enough to build a room for me – to dwell on my thoughts, or to train or whatever. Your grandmother gave me her set of samurai swords when I was skilled enough to use them. They're lightweight, powerful and easy to handle – perfect for a beginner."

Back home, Phoenix led Dib upstairs and stopped a meter left of his bedroom, in front of a Dali painting. The boy watched as she removed the frame and pushed on the wall behind it a few times. Dib is taken aback when a thin stretch of the wall gave way under his mother's hands. One more push and the wall shifts to the left an inch or so, giving Phoenix room to insert her hands and slide it open.

"Why is it concealed?" Dib asks as she ushers him inside.

"To keep you out," his mother answers, following close behind. "We knew there would eventually be at least _one_ child here, we didn't want you playing with any weapons or anything like that."

"Fair enough," he states absently, as he scans the room. In a far corner, a pile of cushions created a small nest where one could meditate. Another corner housed a long-unused _Mook Jong_, a sort of training dummy used in martial arts. Many different weapons hung from the walls, including two katanas resting in matching red-and-gold silken _saya_. Phoenix plucks one from it's hook and hands it gently to Dib. He examined the sheath for a while, admiring the dragons embroided in gold that spiralled around the red material.

"Is… is this _real_?" he enquired, awed, as he slowly draws the blade from it's hiding place.

"It can cleave a man vertically in two," she states proudly. "In fact… I think _that_ one has once before…" she added slyly, inducing a shudder from Dib. "However, before you even _think_ of swinging that thing near me, swap it for this:" She hands him a wooden sword as he sheaths the katana and returns it to her. Surprisingly, he finds the weight and balance is the same as the real sword. "They call it a _Bokken_," Phoenix continues. "The samurai-in-training use it before moving on to _that_:" she points to the next sword hanging from the wall. "That's called an _Iaito_. It's pretty much just a blunt katana. Shall we begin?"

"Now?"

"Better than later," she shrugs.

"Al right."

Phoenix steps back and begins with a short speech: "Here's a little trick I discovered to make it easier to learn – and you can apply this to pretty much anything in life. Just keep in mind these three words: Mind. Over. Matter. Think of the bumblebee: Science has _proven_ that it cannot fly. It's wings are not large enough, fast enough or strong enough to hold it's bodyweight. And yet we see them fly every day…"

Due to the way he was created, Dib learned quickly. Phoenix taught him in the same mannar that she was by her own mother. Knowing that in time, Dib would eventually learn to use his senses as weapons in time, she began with footwork. Next came defensive strikes, followed by offense, and finally disarmament. Phoenix herself was stunned at how fast he had learnt: within a few hours, she swapped his wooden Bokken for the steel Iaito.


	9. 8: What Now, Zim?

**Chapter 8 – What Now, Zim?**

Gaz glared at the alien in front of her. She had been on her way back to class when he had pulled her into the empty music room. "You've bugged me enough already today. Do you want me to give you matching shins or something?"

"Shut up you fool! Do you want someone to know we're in here?"

"_We_?" the girl looked around, as though only just noticing they were alone. She began shaking her head frantically. "Oh… no no no NO! if this is some sort of ZaGR1 bullshit, you've got another thing coming. I'm _so_ gonna kick your arse–"

He silenced her by quickly thrusting the tainted glove2 over her nose and mouth. "I. _Said_. Shut. Up."

1 Message to unlikely pairing writers: GET A FREAKIN LIFE!

2 No pun intended.


	10. 9: Bad Influence

_AN: I was kind of hoping this one'd be longer but, oh well._

**Chapter 9 – Bad Influence**

Dib was practicing a type of stab that Phoenix had recently taught him, on a punching bag.

"One quick thust…" she egged him on. "Curve your hand with the blade… That's it."

He was using the real katana, therefore it remained in the foam bag.

"Now, try and pull it out."

The boy tugged at the hilt in vain. Once… twice… thrice. Nothing.

"Perfect," Phoenix moved forward and pulld the blade cleanly from the bag. "When you follow the blade's curve, the wound matches it precicely and it is nearly impossible to pull it free without opening the wound further1."

"Cool," Dib grins as Phoenix's communicator emits a series of beeps.

"Yeah, what?" she answers.

_It's me,_ Membrane's voice replies. _Simmons just suggested I have you on my show tomorrow night. Whaddoyou say? You wanna do an interview?_

"'Kay," she states simply. "What time?"

_Erm… nine thirty?_

"Alright. But…"

_But what?_

"Mysterious Mysteries starts at nine…"

_Oh, you crazy bitch…_ he muttered.

"I heard that!" she laughed.

_Can't you tape it?_

"Okay, fine. I was gonna watch it with Dib, though."

_Speaking of which, where are you two?_

"In my training r–" Phoenix covered her own mouth a little too late. _Shitshitshit!_ She mouthed to Dib as Membrane scolded her.

_Training_ _room!? You better not be teaching that boy anything dangerous…_

_Tell him I found it on my own,_ Dib whispered. _Say I was just curious or something._

"He, uh… found it on his own," she repeated into the receiver. "Simple curiosity, that's all." She winked and gave Dib a thumbs up.

_Your're a bad influince, you know that? I can see it now: you two running around chasing ghosts… swinging your swords…_

_He thinks I don't do that already?_ Dib muttered sarcastically.

Phoenix supressed a giggle. "Oh no, don't start…"

_When there's something strange…_ Membrane begins to sing mockingly.

"Don't even think about it!"

…_In your neighbourhood…_

"Quit it…"

_Who you gonna call?_

"Oh gawd, here it comes…"

_Ghostbusters!_

"Hey! Don't knock it til you've felt the pure adrenaline running through your veins as a malevolent spirit breaths down your neck. Come to think of it, isn't that why you fell for me in the first place? You wanted a taste of it… Don't deny it."

_Shut up,_ the Professor answered, cutting the transmission.

Phoenix and Dib shared a glance and burst into laughter. When they caught their breath, Phoenix placed a hand on Dib's shoulder. "C'mon, we should probably finish up anyway. Gaz'll be ome soon, she'll be wondering where we are."

_AN: Oh dear gawd that was fun to write! _

1 I'll admit I don't know much about fencing or whatever so I don't really know if this is true.


	11. 10: Wake Up!

**Chapter 10 – Wake Up!**

Zim's ominous grin filled her vision as Gaz's eyes flickered open. "Ugh… what the… hell? Zim! You rotten…" the girl attempted to struggle, yielding quickly when she realized that she was restrained somehow. There was nothing clasped to her wrists, or her ankles, or even her waist. Just an eerie orange glow. "What did you do to me?"

"Oh, nothing a smeet couldn't handle," Zim explained smugly. "A weak human larva on the other hand… you cannot escape this device: it kills the electricity flowing through your body. Your lips can speak, your eyes can see, your ears can _listen_… your nerves can feel, your tongue can taste. But your body is altogether _paralyzed_."

"Yeah, yeah. What's the point…"

"You can put up a brave front all you like, it will not prevent me from retrieving the information I seek. Your filthy brother is up to something… he knows something that Zim does not. I am counting on your weakness to change that fact."

"Dib's not up to anything you moron!"

"He had a file yesterday… what was it? Tell me!"

"The file? He never showed me what that was…"

"You defy the Zim?"

"No I don't _defy,_ you twit… He never told me! I'm not answering any more of your stupid questions!"

"very well. Computer! Activate the _Torture_ _Thingy!_"

_AN: 'Torture Thingy' is bad on purpose. It's a Zim bit, so I had to throw in something stupid._


	12. 11: Communication

**Chapter 11 – Communication**

As Phoenix pulled the door of the training room closed, Dib's communicator beeped.

"Nothing…" he said quietly to himself, perplexed, folding the screen back over. "That was odd," he remarked as his mother lifted the painting back onto it's hook.

"What was?" she asked, turning to him.

"Oh, this just went off for no reason… maybe there's a glitch in it or something…" he lifted his wrist, showing her the device.

"Could be. It's an old model after all," she added, inspecting it. "You wanna check it out?"

"Alright. I'll try and call Gaz first, maybe it was her." He flipped open the monitor once more and called into it. "Gaz? Gaz, are you there?" Static. "Strange..."

"Plug it into the laptop, it'll tell us what's wrong."

"How do you know that?"

They entered Dib's room and walked over to the desk.

"How long have you had them?"

"You mean the computer _and_ the communicator?" Phoenix nodded in reply and he thought for a moment. "I don't know," he said finally, opening up the laptop. "I can't remember the first time I saw them."

"Precicely," his mother responded. "They're prototypes I made for the Swollen Eyeballs way back when1."

_Good afternoon, Agent Mothman. How may I be of your assistance?_

Dib looked to the computer and back to his mother, astonished. "I _thought_ I recognized your voice! You _are_ the computer!" He turns back to the laptop and asks, "Mum?"

_Yes, Dib?_ The computer responds.

"Holy shit!" the boy exclaims, startled.

_Language, Dib._

"I never programmed it to say that…" Phoenix mused. "Membrane: it had to be him."

"Cool," Dib remarks, pulling himself together. "So, in a sense, you've been guiding me all a long."

"You could say that," his mother responds with a smile.

_You could say that,_ the computer echoes.

"Go back to SEN Mode, Computer. You'll confuse him," Phoenix commands.

_Certainly Chimera._

Dib took off the communicator, picked up the USB cord and connected it to the computer. "Can you tell us what's wrong with it?"

_Analyzing… Your device is fine, Dib._

"Can you explain why he received a blank connection from Gaz's model?" Phoenix asked.

_Analyzing…there is something affecting the signal… it may be magnetic. Would you like me to analize it further?_

"That's enough, computer. It might fry you."

_Yes, Mothman._

"Can you tell us where Gaz is?"

_Negative, Chimera. The magnetic field is too strong. Perhaps if I monitor it, it might waver enough for me to give you a direct answer._

"That's a good idea. Do that," Dib answers. Without warning, Dib's communicator emits a series of white noise. "What the hell?"

_Y-u--efy-t-e--im!?_

"Do you recognise that voice?" Phoenix asks him.

Dib shakes his head. "The words are too broken, but it's definitely not Gaz."

_The signal originates from an Irken base, Mothman. Your sister may be in danger._

"Zim!" Dib utters furiously.

1 AN: When I go back and re-write the DIB Project pt 1, I'm gonna change the baby monitor Dib uses when he was a kid for the prototype communicator.


	13. 12: You Won't Get Away With This!

**Chapter 12 – You Won't Get Away With This!**

Gaz shrieks as the branding iron sears the flesh on her arm.

"If you want me to stop, just tell me what I want to know!"

"Argh! You ignorant bastard! If I wasn't restrained, I'd–"

"You'd what?" Zim sneers, lifting himself up on his mecanical legs, coming face-to-face with his victim.

Gaz locked his eyes with hers, realizing she had talked herself into a trap. Their faces slowly became closer as their rage boiled to it's limits. Soon, they were close enough that any untrained observer would forsee a kiss.

"Get the fuck away from me!" She spat at him through the aura.

"Ugh, you filthy rotten human!" Zim yelled, wiping the spittle from his face as he backed away. "I should kill you for that… But I wont. Don't get me wrong, Gaz, this is no pity I am showing you, for I am incapable of empathy. No… I have a feeling your will is at breaking point. Soon enough I will no longer need you, only then will I free you from that ugly shell you call a body."

_AN: Yes, I know Zim sounds a little like Johnny C. here._


	14. 13: Coming or Not?

**Chapter 13 – Coming or Not?**

"Are you sure Zim is a threat?" Phoenix asks as they enter the training sanctuary once more. "I mean, you seemed pretty sure he's an idiot."

"He may be a moron, but he's also devious. Trust me: it's a bad combination," Dib answers, unconciously lifting one of the katanas off it's hook. "Speaking of which, we'll never get in there without some sort of plan. I've infiltrated his base before, but it's likely he's upgraded his securty since then."

"Here, take this," she says, clasping an ornate belt around his waist. "You'll need to keep your hands free."

"Neat," he states simply, clipping the sheath onto it.

_Dib? Phoenix?_ Membrane's voice bellows from below.

"We're up here," Phoenix calls back. She quickly grabs the other katana and it's belt, as well as a nearby Chinese broadsword and shoos Dib out, following close behind him.

"There you are!" Membrane exclaims as he reaches the top of the stairs. "I was hoping you'd come back to the lab to discuss the show tomorrow."

"We've been busy," Phoenix shrugs, replacing the painting. She turns and attempts to plant a kiss on his cheek, hitting the over-sized collar isntead. "I've always hated that coat," she states, embracing him instead.

"Not filling his head with any of that martial arts crap, I hope," he says, looking down at the swords. "It's almost as bad as all that supernatural trollop."

"You're so lucky I love you," she glares at him in jest. "Besides, you tried it once, remember?"

"Yeah, back when I was young and naïve."

"Well, you weren't naïve, and you certainly weren't young. As far as I recall, you even enjoyed it."

"You're not leaving already, are you?" the Professor opts to quit the game before he looses again.

"Zim's got Gaz," Phoenix answers casually.

"We shouldn't be long," Dib adds. "Besides, you know mum: she won't let anything happen to me."

"You can come if you really want to,"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Three heads are better than two," Phoenix shrugs.

"You sure Gaz is in trouble? They're not secretly an item or something?"

"S'not likely," Dib snorts back a chuckle. "Are you sure _you're_ not the insane one, rather than me?"

The Professor looks to his wife in reply. "I was right, you _are_ a bad influence on him…"

"So, you coming or not?"

Membrane looks down to the broadsword as though reminiscing. "Might as well," he eventually sighs.

---

After strenuously examining the schematics for zim's base, the three of them eventually forged a plan to get inside. They decided on the direct approach: Phoenix, with her reflexes, would tease the gnome security guards and cause them to destroy eachother. meanwhile, Dib and Membrane would barge into the house and distract GIR with a pig made of tacos. Using the laptop, they would be able to pinpoint the exact location in the base where Gaz was being kept. From there on, all other events were unforseeable.


	15. 14: Dibstink!

_AN: I apologize proir if this is a little over the place – I have yet to master the art of writing multiple things happening at once, as well as in a small ammount of time._

**Chapter 14 – Dibstink!**

Zim turned from Gaz and looked on to the boy that had just entered his chamber. "How did you get past the security?"

"I had help," Dib replied flatly as Phoenix and Membrane stepped into view behind him.

"The Father! But… who's–"

"The Mother," Phoenix finished, staring down into the strange Irken eyes. "Release my daughter."

"Where did all this technology come from?" Membrane was distracted by the array of machines and gadgets encasing the room.

"He's an alien!" Dib and Phoenix answered angrily.

"Concentrate, dammit!" Phoenix added. "Haven't you listened to _anything_ we told you?"

"Listen to me, Zim, what ever you're doing to Gaz, stop it now."

"No, Dib, listen to me. You don't have what it takes to challenge an Irken." The alien's red eyes flared with pride as he spoke. Even Dib had never seen such a sight.

"Things have changed, Zim." Dib replied as he unsheathed the katana. His parents followed suit and dashed between the alien and their son.

"Free Gaz," Phoenix uttered as she rushed passed his right side.

As Zim raised on his mecanical legs defensively, Dib rushed to the device restraining his sister.

---

Although Membrane hadn't held a sword for more than ten years, the few things that Phoenix had taught him rushed back in that instant. It gave him strength as he raised the chinese broadsword and charged to defend his children.

"We have to coax him down!" she muttered to him.

"We're only here to distract him…"

"Precicely, what good would it serve is it was obviously a distraction?"

---

Dib looked over the device that restrained Gaz. The magnetic field that held her suspended was powered by a large rectangular base. There were no buttons on it, no dials: the whole thing must be controlled by the comuter. But… the computer only answered to Zim…

---

Membane and Phoenix hacked at the steel legs, one at a time, bringing Zim uneasily closer to the ground.

---

Dib had spied a strange crescent-shaped fixture on the side of the device. _Aim for the moon,_ his mother had told him earlier. "That's it," he muttered, drawing back his arm to stab at the fixture. The boy thrust the sword forward with all his strength, curving his hand as he had been taught. He curved too soon, missing the crescent by mere milimeters, but damaging the machine nevertheless. Releasing the hilt instantly to avoid a shock, Dib steps back as the base emits a fountain of threatening sparks. The magnetic field wavers, flickers, and eventually fades away, letting Gaz fall gently onto level ground. Dib crouches down, helping his sister stand before turning to Zim with a triumphant grin on his face. The pride before the fall…

---

The three ceased their battle as soon as they heard the elecricity flare. "Get them out of here," Phoenix told her husband as the nemeses locked eyes. "That thing can blow in a matter of seconds…"

Nodding in agreement, he rushes forward to the children, "Gaz! Dib! Come on! There's not much time!" They ran to meet him, and Membrane scooped up Gaz in her weakened state.

---

Phoenix had taken it upon herself to preoccupy Zim once again – she couldn't afford to underesimate him, not now.

"What the hell are you doing?" Membrane yelled as he ran past her.

"Giving you a chance – get the fuck out of here!"

"But–"

"I'll catch up, just GO!"

Knowing better not to argue, Membrane reluctantly agrees to leave her behind.


	16. 15: She Should Be Out By Now…

**Chapter 15 – She Should Be Out By Now…**

Membrane mutters anxiously as he leans against the car. Dib and Gaz were already sitting on the back seat, Gaz slowly regaining her strength while Dib watched the door of Zim's house expectantly.

The door bursts open and Phoenix dashes out. "He's right behind–" her voice is cut short, Membrane and the children watch in horror as on of Zim's steel legs emerges from the right side of her chest. The Professor jumps up and runs over to her, despite knowing too well that any efforts would be in vain.

Te alien himself emerges shortly afterwards, lifting Phoenix triumphantly, not noticing that she still clings to life. Phoenix drops the katana, using her hands to stabilize her body as the appendage moves to and fro.

Membrane stoops, picking up the sword, and waits patiently for the right moment to swing. The mechanical leg lowers suddenly and the professor chooses his moment and aims a powerful blow behind his wife's back, slicing cleanly through the alien leg.

Zim suddenly notices his folly: completely exposed to the world, he darts back inside.

Phoenix attepmts to stand, swaying as her body plummets into shock. Her husband catches her and half-carries her to the Commodore.


	17. 16: Closure

**Chapter 16 – Closure**

"Are you sure you can't drain anyone's life?" Membrane asked as he sat in the driver's seat. "I'd be happy to–"

"No," Phoenix shook her head lightly, cringing as the steel appendage moves inside her chest. She was sitting diagonally in the passenger seat, in a sort-of half foetal position, trying to hold the alien leg stationary. "It wouldn't work," she adds simply.

"But… You saved Dib last night – I saw it myself."

"This is different. Dib's body had only shut down, _I_ have a fucking _hole_ in my chest."

"I'll take you to the hospital, then. Computer–"

"No," she says again. "They can't help me: this thing is in my lung. I don't want to die surrounded by white-coats."

---

Phoenix lay on her side upon the couch with Membrane at her head and Dib in front of her.

"Should I go to bed?" Gaz asks, feeling a little left out of the moment. She had only spoken to Phoenix for about ten minutes that morning and didn't know her as well as her brother and father.

"That might be a good idea, actually," Phoenix stated weakly. "We never got a chance to speak for long, anyway. These two," she gestured to Dib and Membrane, "are already wound up in this. Just, one thing before you go," she adds as Gaz turns away. "Be nice to your brother, okay?"

"Okay, fine," Gaz sighs as she makes her way to the stairs.

"Was that really appropriate?" Membrane asks. "I mean, she _is_ your daughter."

"Maybe so, but the less she sees, the less it will affect her later in life."

"What about us?" Dib asks as he lays his head on the armrest next to hers.

"You two will need closure." She smiles, placing her hand on her son's cheek. "I love you, Dib. I always have. You are my euphoria – I don't think I've ever said that to your face, but it's true. You two are both my strength and my weakness." She looked into Dib's eyes and her expression changed from elation to anxiety. "Don't go after Zim with vengeance in your heart," she whispered, as though reading his mind. "It will only cloud your judgement. Mind over matter, Bumblebee, mind over matter."

Even with the hole in her chest still plugged, Phoenix could feel the wound eating away at her strength. She reached beneath the collar of her coat and revealed a greenstone pendant inlaid with paua. Tugging on the string, she loosens it and pulled it over her head, handing it to Dib. "The natives of my homeland call this _hei matau_. It represents prosperity and protection, as well as New Zealand itself. It was given to my grandmother on her wedding day. Some time after she died, my mother took it. Many years later, she gave it to my father. He gave it to me the day before I came here to remind me where my roots are. Take it, Dib. Keep it as a symbol of everything I have taught you.

"Go to Gaz's room," she states as the boy clutches the trinket tightly. "Shield her. I don't want either of you to see this: it will stain your mind."

Dib nods sadly as he rises to his feet and follows Gaz's footsteps to her room.

After watching her son leave, she turns to her husband, who takes her hand and moves to replace Dib.

"You sure you want me to do this?" Membrane asks, trying to disguise his shattering voice.

She nods and keeps her voice to a whisper to save strength. "You were my weakness," she repeats. "When I left all those years ago, I kept thinking back to our wedding day, our first kiss… I couldn't count how many times I wanted to return, just to be in that moment again. God, I missed you…

"Take off your goggles, you hardly ever let me see your eyes… But whenever I see them, we are young again."

Membrane obeyed, and unbuttoned his collar to kiss her.

"Please, mum." Phoenix weakly raises her head and sees Dib runing to her. "I'm sorry, I couldn't stay up there. I can't leave you like this."

"I told you not to make him stubborn," she playfully scolded her husband through her tears. "Are you sure, Dib? This won't be pretty."

He looked down to his mother in her pathetic state and nodded, his eyes welling up. The boy takes her hand as she looks up to her husband.

"Do it now."

"What? You can't tell me you finished saying everything you need to."

"I could drag this on for the rest of eternity if I wanted to. We need to get this over with. Do it," she adds desperately.

Reluctantly, Membrane places his left hand over his wife's sternum for leverage. _I can't believe I agreed to this._ "I love you, Phee." He breathes as he grips the steel appendage in his right hand. "I always will…" he adds as he tugs at the mechanical leg. All three cringe, Phoenix in pain, and Membrane and Dib in sorrow as they hear the horrifying _thuck_ of her flesh releasing the steel bar.

"Oh, shit…" Phoenix chokes in pain as her lung suddenly floods with thick, red plasma.

"Shh… It'll be over soon," Membrane and Dib both utter as they cradle her head.

"Beetles…" she splutters deleriously. "Don't… forget… beetles."

Both Membrane and Dib feel her pulse slow to a stop, her body relaxed and her eyes stared unseeing into the void. Membrane closes her eyes and looks to his son, whose eyes had moved to the alien's leg. _He's all cried-out,_ Membrane realized as he places an arm over Dib's shoulder to comfort him. The boy looks up at his father and they shared a long-awaited embrace.

---

"Do you think she'll ever come back to us?" Membrane asks as he tucks his son into bed.

"Don't start with that 'Real Science' crap, Dad. Now's not the time."

"I'm not," the Real Scientist defends himself. "I honestly want to know."

For once, Dib can see truth in his father's eyes and shrugs. "There are a lot of theories, but no one really knows how spirits become earth-bound," the Budding Paranormal Scientist explains. "Some think it's unfinished buisiness, others think it's a traumatic death. A few even believe that they don't exist at all, and that a building can take a sort of recording of an event that has a bad stigma attatched and kind of replay it.

"I read in one of Mum's books that she grew up in the house where her grandparents were murdered. She wrote that wenever she entered the lounge, she would instantly become afraid. She soon found that it wasn't a fear of their _ghosts_ she had felt, rather, the fear her grandmother had felt just before her death."

"You didn't answer my question…"

"I was getting there. If being impaled by an alien device isn't traumatic, I don't know what is. So… I suppose it's possible she'll stay."

Membrane smiled, "Magnificent answer! You know what your mother said last night about me being proud of you regardless?" the Professor stood before continuing, "She's right." He bent down and kissed his son on the forehead before turning and leaving the room.

Dib remained wakeful for quite some time, dwelling on the events of the day. It had started off so well… He was really looking forward to having a proper family again, but that damn alien took it all away from him in a single moment. _Why did it have to end like this, mum? You were the only person who took me seriously… The only one… We could've worked together… Destroyed that bastard once and for all… _The boy rolled over and picked up the greenstone fishhook from his bedside table, closing his eyes as he pulls it over his head. _I will kill you, Zim. Mark my words: I. Will. Kill. You._


	18. 17: Beetles

**Chapter 17 – Beetles**

It was a perfect Autumn day, the sky was completely clear, lush grass covered the ground, all the fauna acted as though it was Spring. The song playing was chosen by Membrane himself, knowing that it was his late-wife's favourite. John Lennon's modest voice flowed through the air.

_There's nothing you can do that can't be done…_

_Only one thing is missing,_ Membrane thought as he made his way through the tombstones. He looked skywards and added,_ What kind of a god would take her from us like this?_ He began scanning through the guests as they took their seats.

_Nothing you can sing that can't be sung._

Eventually he found who he was looking for and motioned to Dib and Gaz to follow. They reached a woman in her mid-sixties, looking elegant in her mourning-black dress-suit.

_Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game…_

Her long hair reached her waist, Membrane knew that it was once jet-black with a streak of white down the left side of her face. Now, the erstwhile black was gray and withered. Despite her age, the sapphire eyes still glimmered with life.

"It's good to finally meet you, Dr. Fisher," he greeted her. "If only the circumstances had been different."

"It couldn't be helped," the woman smiled back sweetly. "Please, you may refrain from the formalities, Membrane. I am, after all, your mother-in-law. Please, call me Gaia. Are these the children my daughter told me of?"

Membrane nodded, "this is Dib, and his sister, Gaz. Children: this is your maternal grandmother."

_Nothing you can make that can't be made…_

"Looking at these two, I _know_ my daughter would never die without reason. Dib, you're wearing my mother's greenstone."

The boy was about to answer when Membrane cut in. "You don't sound very sad about Phoenix's death…"

_No one you can save that can't be saved…_

"Be thankful you have not seen what I have. I learnt as a child that death is a part of life and cannot be avoided," Gaia smiled knowingly.

"Grandma?" Dib piped up. "Do you mind if I ask how old you were when…"

"I was four when my own parents died. I saw it all from where I hid." She smiled at him before looking back at Membrane. "He speaks is mind like his mother."

_Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time…_

"Do you have anywhere to stay?" Membrane asked.

"You offering?"

The priest raised is hand and motioned for everyone to sit. Membrane, Dib, Gaz and Gaia took their seats where they were and the minister began his opening speech.

Dib zoned out, he didn't _really_ want to be here, he was also nervous about the eulogy he would be giving soon. Unable to sleep the night his mother died, he had written as though possessed. Not really intending for the short stanza to be read by anyone.

Membrane sat quietly, not really listening to the priest. The song was still playing and he listened to the words intently.

_Nothing you can know that isn't known… Nothing you can see that isn't shown… Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be… It's easy… All you need is love._

As the chorus began, a ladybird buzzed around him and landed on his arm. The scientist looked down at it and smiled for the first time in three days. _That's it…_ he leaned down to Dib and uttered his findings: "She wasn't saying 'beetles'. It was _The_ Beatles: All You Need is Love."


	19. Epilogue

**Epilogue **

Two sets of pale-green eyes watched as the bespectacled boy read his eulogy from afar.

_Is that my grandson?_ The first asked in a faded English accent.

_That's Dib,_ the feminine eyes confirmed.

_Where's your husband?_

_Sitting next to Mum._

_So, that girl that looks like you did, that's Gaz?_

_Mm hmm._

The masculine eyes looked over Membrane again. _I don't like him: he's too old for you._

_'Too old'?_ The other chuckled. _Um… Dad, you're _twenty-three_ years older than Mum – Membrane's only twelve years my senior._

_Still don't like him. Looks too serious._

_Believe me, he's _far_ from serious._

_Workaholic?_

_Yeah, well everyone has their faults._

_Don't like him._

_Ugh, you'll never approve, will you?_

_Nope. It's my job as your father. Why are we here, anyway?_

_Well, I don't know about you, but I made a promise to my son and I plan on keeping it._

**END**

_AN: Oh dear god help me! I can't stop writing this!_


	20. DIB Project pt 3 preview

**TDP3 – Prologue**

His mother's funeral had been anything but closure. It was over a week ago and Dib was still beset by insomnia. He wished that he had listened to her when she instructed him to remain upstairs while his father euthanised her. Instead, he had left Gaz immersed in the GameSlave 2, in her room, and opted to go down to his parents. Phoenix had, after all, chosen to die for the sake of her children.

The images plagued him ceaselessly: The shock on Phoenix's face as Zim had thrust the steel appendage through her back… The argument she had had with Membrane on the drive home… The regret in her eyes as she gave him her final piece of wisdom…

His thoughts were interrupted by a heavy _thud_ and Dib sits up in his bed to look over to see what happened. A book had fallen from the shelf. Not just any book though – since his mother died, it had become one of his prized possessions. Dame phoenix had written it herself. Bending down to pick it up, he is startled when the next one falls. As he looks over to it, confused, a breeze flows loudly into the room… or… was it… a voice?

---

_You need to be subtle,_ Dr. Gary Fisher told his daughter. _You don't want to scare him, do you?_

_No, but…_ Phoenix shifted nervously. _I just want… to comfort him._ She walks around to her son's bed and watches as he stares blankly at the ceiling, sleepless. Kneeling down next to him, she kisses his cheek and whispers, _Everything's gonna be okay, I promise…_

_He can't hear you._

_I know._

_He doesn't even know you're there._

_I know,_ she repeats, rising and gliding to the bookcase, scanning all the spines. _Perfect_, she utters, placing her index finger on the top of one book.

_Mothman Theories?_ Her father enquired.

_In the Network, Dib's codename is Agent Mothman,_ she explained. _Look who wrote it…_

_You._

_Precisely,_ Phoenix replies, tugging on the book and letting it fall to the floor. She observes as her son rises from his bed and walks over to inspect the fallen book.

_I, was Elite Chimera,_ Phoenix adds, pulling down the next one, ensuring that it lays open on a page concerning the beast. _Did it work? Does he know I'm here?_

_Only one way to find out…_

Phoenix nods and whispers: _Can you hear me, Bumblebee?_

_AN: A message to my 4 fans who have this story on their alerts (Dibsthe1, InvaderKel, Katheriiine & ttlzagrlvr): Ignore the alerts from here on, I'm just gonna go back and edit it chapter-by-chapter. Oh, yes and thanks for your support!_


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